Out of the ashes
by PrancingTiger86
Summary: Grief can make you say the craziest of things but what if the words you spoke were true? chap 2: Prowl deals with the aftermath of Praxus being laid to waste, and the Decepticons refuse to give the Autobots any reprieve.
1. Chapter 1

_**Title**: Out of the Ashes . . . ._

_**Rating**: None that I can think of_

_**Universe**: Pre Movie 07_

_**Pairings**: Prowl n Jazz friendship_

_**Warnings**: just fluff and angst_

_**Summary**: Grief can make you say the craziest of things but what if the words you spoke were true?_

_Un-betaed but I did the my best to wheedle out all the grammar and spelling mistakes_

_This fic just popped out of nowhere, that and I felt like writing a bit of angst. Apologies if Prowl seems a little out of character but I did want him to appear vulnerable in this fic._

_Orn- day_

_Cycle – week_

_'Blah' - flashback_

The two suns setting upon the horizon cast long and ominous shadows across the rocky and metallic landscape of the planet Cybertron, their slowly diminishing rays fell upon the city of Iacon giving it an ethereal glow. It was a beautiful sight to behold especially from the large spire building that served as Autobot headquarters, this natural phenomenon that occurred every orn was being half heartedly observed by Prowl as he stood in his office. The military strategist had not long ago stepped off a shuttle after assisting the search and rescue unit in Praxus; the very city that he had been sparked in. He was still having trouble processing how a Decepticon strike force had managed to wipe an entire city off the face of Cybertron, especially after the hundreds and thousands of vorns it had taken to transform the city into what it had been.

Prowl made his way across to the desk and perched upon the edge of it, arms folded across his chest whilst sensory panels were held high almost in a 'V' formation so the tips were touching, in both anger and distress. Praxus had been of no particular importance to the war, its inhabitants including his own creators had been neutral wanting nothing to do with the rising conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons, yet they had been wiped out mercilessly and those who had survived had a fifty percent of surviving the night. The carnage seen at Praxus had almost been too much for some of the younger Autobots leaving the veterans the grizzly task of searching through the rubble to locate survivors. But even then the front-line warrior twins had been removed from the field when the 'usually sparkless' Sunstreaker's anger became more of a hindrance than a help.

The tactician was drawn out of his thoughts when he heard someone key in the code to his office, he didn't know if he could take the news delivered to him in person by Ratchet that another victim of the merciless attack had died at the moment as guilt and grief assailed his spark every time he thought about them. However the familiar light tread alerted him to another presence, the very one he was not afraid to lose his calm and collected façade in front of, he felt a hand gently grasp his upper right arm and he turned to meet the concerned gaze of his closest friend; Jazz. Prowl gave him a small smile and he received one in return before he settled his gaze back on the outside world. The silver mech stepped past him to sit on the edge of the desk next to the white and black form and placed his hands in his lap. The pair of them sat in companionable silence watching as the last of the two suns disappeared beyond the horizon before Prowl finally spoke up.

"Did you know that if Praxus had any forewarning, a majority of its citizens would still be alive?" The tactician asked not sparing the saboteur a glance as he said these words "and we could have prevented the city from being completely destroyed."

"Prowl no-one coulda predicted what was gonna happen." Jazz replied knowing that the tactician was blaming himself for what happened. That was a few of the flaws the black and white had, any mission big or small that went wrong, Prowl would personally blame himself for it and work himself almost into deactivation to make sure it didn't happen again "I've had ma ops division workin' overtime ta find out why we didn't get any Intel on ole Megs plannin' a strike, an' we've come up with diddly squat."

"None of them deserved to die Jazz not without some chance of being able to defend themselves." Prowl said as he glanced at the special ops officer, his sensory panels wilted from their flared positions as emotions began their rampage through his processor over riding both his logic centre and battle computer "and those in the repair bay have almost no guarantee they'll survive either."

"I think ya gotta have some faith in Ratch Prowler, he's not gonna let any of them go without a fight." Jazz responded as he reached for one of the tactician's hands and clasped it in a reassuring squeeze, Prowl smiled shyly at the contact the saboteur had initiated but none the less relaxed slightly "an' ya know the 'Cons, they find a threat they eliminate it no questions asked an' no mercy shown."

The guilt returned at those words spoken by the saboteur and Prowl's sensory panels drooped all the way down so they were almost flat against his back, a frown marred the normally calm and collected facial plates "I still should have looked for a sign from the recent skirmishes, anything to suggest that they were planning to attack even if it hadn't been Praxus."

A frown appeared upon Jazz's facial plates "Prowl don't, you start with the reproach instead of figurin' a way to prevent this from happenin' again then you might as well be responsible for each of their deaths an' those yet to die." The words, the saboteur knew, were harsh but he hoped to drive his point home and it seemed to work as the tactician visibly winced "but I know for certain they don't blame ya." That earned him a surprised look from Prowl.

"You spoke to one of them?" The tactician inquired.

"Yea right before I came here, he wanted to speak to you but settled fer me instead." Jazz began as a small smile graced his facial plates "he's gonna one of the lucky ones, Ratch expects him to make a fully recovery."

"And the others?" Prowl dared to ask.

"Them too." Jazz responded which brought a questioning frown to his friend's facial plates "Ratch like you, changes his predictability when he sees an improvement or like you when you're given an odd ya don't like." The news of the survivors well beings certainly raised his spirits regardless that many had already had died, however the thought that those who had survived the devastating attack had been given a chance to carry on, was enough to chase away most of the guilt he had been feeling "so am I gonna have ta call the twins ta pound ya into the trainin' room mats or are ya good now?"

"I'm fine Jazz thank you." Prowl said with a small smile, he didn't realise his moods had affected the rest of the unit least of all the front-line warrior twins Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, after all the pair made it their goal in life to try and drive him over the edge at full speed.

"Come on let's get ya to ya quarters before Ratch comes an' drags ya out by ya panels." The silver mech said as he stood up and tugged on the hand that was still wrapped round one of the tactician's, Prowl didn't get the chance to protest before the silver mech practically pulled him to his feet and dragged him in the direction of the door. Jazz turned out the lights and locked the door the moment they were outside then led Prowl in the direction of the officers quarters. The journey there was quick and simple since there was no-one else in the corridors for which the tactician was grateful for as he felt exhaustion setting in, he watched as Jazz punched in the code to his quarters and the doors whooshed open to reveal the dark room within, although once they stepped inside the lighting came on at the usual soft setting.

The saboteur pushed and cajoled him into the wash rack and it was only then that he realised that he was still covered in dust, grime and dried energon, he told Jazz he was capable of washing himself but when he swayed and almost stumbled into the wash rack wall it was decided there and then that maybe the silver mech's help would be appreciated. The special ops officer took great care in washing armour plates that held numerous scrapes and dents, he frowned when he saw a few gashes that would require a little patch work and couldn't understand why Prowl had not had them seen too. The silver mech turned the facet off and placed the cloth he had been using back on the shelf and grabbed the towel on the other side of the room, Prowl was leaning against the wall, blue optics dim with exhaustion and his entire posture sagged. Jazz quickly dried the black and white's plating, apologising every so often when he accidentally brushed against a wound, he then unceremoniously dumped the towel on the rack and pulling the tactician out of his wash rack and toward his berth-room. Prowl was nearly entering recharge by the time the saboteur led him to his berth and pushed him into lying down on his side so he could attend to the small gashes in the black and white's armour.

Jazz removed the small first aid kit he always carried on him from his sub-space and opened it, he pulled out a couple of cleansing wipes and ran them gently round the torn edges of armour, Prowl only flinched once but most of the time stayed still whilst he worked. The silver mech dished out a tiny tub of antiseptic ointment and smeared some across the wounds, Ratchet would no doubt have his head if he allowed the 2IC to succumb to an infection simply because one: he didn't cart Prowl's sorry aft down to the med-bay to be checked over and two: not applying his own small amount of medical knowledge to kick start the healing process. The saboteur screwed the lid back on and tossed it into the kit and wiped the excess off the tactician's armour and his fingers, then he grabbed one last item from the kit and covered each of the wounds in flexiseal so they remained clean. During all of this Prowl remained quiet, his optics focused upon the wall opposite the berth, his gaze unseeing. He felt each gentle and soothing caress as Jazz saw to his injuries that up until this moment he had forgotten about, he kept his mind on each of the touches. He knew his logic centre and battle computer wanted to return to figuring out why there had been no distinctive patterns in the skirmishes they had with the Decepticons leading up to the attack on Praxus.

Suddenly his thought processes took a completely new route, one that he was not expecting as he considered each of the caresses and touches Jazz was placing upon the four different areas of his frame. Each of them felt too soft to belong to a top class assassin and saboteur, not too mention that they felt more of a lover's caress rather than that of a close friend. Then it dawned on him that maybe the saboteur was attracted to him since it would made all the passing attempts at getting him to come out of his shell a bit more, make sense. Not too mention the oddly phrased sentences the silver mech would throw at him and the touches that lingered longer than they should. If that was the case then maybe something good would come out of the death and destruction he had seen the past cycle, however he was faced with the notion to admitting his feelings first to the mech in question and if Jazz didn't reciprocate his feelings then it could prove awkward between them.

_'Nothing ventured, nothing gained brother.'_ He suddenly heard his brother's voice in his head despite how illogical it sounded. However the words spoken by his deceased sibling did make sense, he just hoped Jazz wouldn't put the confession down to mourning for his deceased loved ones.

"There all done." Jazz spoke up after putting the roll of blue flexiseal back in the kit and storing it in his sub-space, making a mental note to grab replacements for the items he had used from the repair bay once every thing had calmed down "now I suggest ya get some recharge an' I'll check on ya in the mornin' unless Ratch comes an' hunts ya down before then." The saboteur pushed himself to his feet and was about to turn and leave when Prowl grabbed his hand and halted his movements, he turned around and glanced at the tactician curiously although he half expected this. Prowl never did deal with grief well on his own as Jazz knew that if he had been anywhere but here, the tactician would without a doubt drown himself in paper work until Ratchet locked him out of his office and confined him to quarters.

"Prowl?" Jazz inquired as he turned fully to face the black and white mech.

Prowl glanced up at him, his usual stoic appearance disappearing altogether revealing a completely different bot, he knew that there was a high possibility that the tactician's logic circuits and battle computer had gone off-line leaving Prowl to deal with emotions that were normally alien to him "Stay with me." The saboteur looked a little startled at that but none the less nodded and settled himself comfortably at the head of the berth with his back against the wall. He decided he would stay until Prowl fell into a much needed recharge, although a part of him was telling him to stay and keep an optic on his close friend during the night cycle, after all it wouldn't be the first time he had spent a night in the tactician's quarters. He stiffened slightly when the black and white mech shifted upon the berth and rested his helm on his lap but soon relaxed. Jazz started trailing clawed fingers down the back of Prowl's helm with a gentle magnetic pulse and instantly he saw a difference as Prowl visibly relaxed upon the berth. The saboteur suddenly wondered why the usually stoic and emotionless tactician was showing this vulnerable side of himself despite them being close friends, unless Prowl considered him more than just a friend? What if Prowl was trying to convey how he felt by allowing him the privileges very few were allowed like being able to touch him and see the other side of him? It would certainly make his job much easier if Prowl felt the same way he did at least then he wouldn't have to worry about disappearing under the radar for a little while if the tactician didn't reciprocate his feelings. Then there was the thought of the escalating war with the Decepticons to take into consideration, there was no way that they could possibly make a relationship work being second and third in command as the responsibilities that came with their positions would without a doubt get in the way.

"When I originally joined the Autobots, it was to ensure that my family would be safe." Prowl said so softly that Jazz, despite being one of the very few bots with sensitive hearing, almost didn't hear him "and I know they would want me to carry on and ensure that the same thing never happens to another city, and so I can protect the one bot I care for deeply." Jazz felt his spark clench in his chest, so Prowl had feelings for a fellow Autobot and a pang of jealousy struck him wondering who the lucky mech or femme was, although looking back he couldn't think of anyone that seemed interested in the black and white mech despite his rather handsome appearance. He quashed those feelings quickly especially when a white hand came up and sculptured fingers traced the armour seams around his knee joint, Jazz had to restrain himself from kicking out and hitting Prowl, his knees were a rather sensitive part of him among other places simply because of the exposed tubing and cabling at the back. A fact the tactician seemed to be well aware of.

"Rest Prowl." The saboteur murmured as he traced lazy circles around Prowl's left audio receptor.

"I care for you Jazz more than I'm supposed too and I refuse to allow anything to happen to you." The tactician mumbled tiredly before finally falling off-line. Jazz sat there not quite sure whether he had heard the tactician right and was very tempted to shake him awake and ask him if what he had just said was true, but it looked as though it would have to wait until morning. He smiled at the thought that maybe Prowl really did reciprocate his feelings before glancing at the wall opposite him, his gaze fell upon a captured image of Praxus at dawn, the city looked positively beautiful and the painting captured the said beauty well. In fact it intensified it ten fold and Jazz frowned sadly, how could the Decepticons wipe how something so picturesque and magnificent and feel no remorse for carrying out such a distasteful act? The saboteur tore his gaze away from the holo image and glanced down at the slumbering tactician curled up on his side before him, he smiled as he ran his clawed fingers down the back of the white helm.

"Love you too Prowl." Jazz murmured quietly before he opened his lips and began to sing softly into the dark and quiet room knowing that given time everything would be alright again.

_Right hopefully the plot bunnies will leave me alone so I can get chapter 7 of Renascentia completed. And if people like this one enough then I may be willing to add further chapters._


	2. Chapter 2

_I completely forgot I never really finished this fic off so I decided too whilst the rabid plot bunnies were attacking *runs away to get repellent* lol. Thanks to **DitzyMusicLover**, **cmdrtekk**, **FoghornLeghorn83 **who reviewed the first chapter and sorry it took so long to update!_

_**Warnings:** Use of profanities, slight slash between 'male' characters, angst_

_**Disclaimer**: Not mine, I just toy with with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition._

_:/Blah\: - internal/private communications_

* * *

Prowl woke from recharge with a start when he felt someone shift against him, his processor instantly told him that be all accounts he should be alone in his berth. He opened his optic shutters and powered up his optical sensors which quickly settled upon the wall opposite him before they drifted down to the light filtering in from under the door, he attempted to roll upon his back only to hear a groan of protest that wasn't his own. It was only then did he register the weight on his left side, Prowl snapped his gaze round and was more than surprised to see Jazz lying there comfortably with one arm beneath his head whilst the other was draped over the tactician's abdomen. The saboteur was positioned in such a way that he wasn't pressing against any of the wounds the black and white mech had acquired, but it was such a position that would rouse him from recharge should Prowl decide to move. The military strategist smiled at the somewhat peaceful expression upon the silver mech's lax facial plates, Prowl reached with his left hand and gently touched the saboteur's helm. Jazz made a soft sound in his recharge but continued to sleep which was unusual for the silver mech as the special ops officer was a light sleeper, he knew any sudden movement near Jazz would have the saboteur up on his feet and in a defensive stance before a bot could blink an optic shutter. The tactician allowed his fingers to gently trace the sharp finned edges of a horn only to find it was probably the wrong move to make, Jazz on-lined instantly into defensive mode when he felt the brush against the sensitive appendage. The military strategist found his arm being twisted round in a painful grapple move before being flipped onto his front with an energy blade pressed against a primary fuel line in his neck.

"Jazz." He called softly to the saboteur as he knew that if he attempted to move, the silver mech would most likely perceive him as a threat and terminate him before he had a chance to defend himself. The tactician felt the pressure of the knife lessen before it disappeared completely, however the weight of the other mech did not move and Prowl glanced over his shoulder, shifting his left sensory panel out of the way so he could meet the saboteur's gaze.

"Morning Prowler." Jazz greeted him with a smile.

"It's Prowl not Prowler or any other affiliation you have compiled for me." The tactician groused, he tensed when he felt the silver mech press the palms of his hands against the small of his back, clawed fingers idly tracing a couple of armour seams "and could you possibly move?"

"Nope." Jazz told him. What the special ops mech did next took the black and white completely by surprise, the saboteur pressed himself flat against Prowl's back and tucked his head in the nape of his neck "I'm quite comfy here."

The military strategist tried flexing his sensory panels but found them pinned beneath Jazz's bulk, he tried to comprehend the reasoning behind the saboteur's rather close proximity especially since he had never before invaded Prowl's personal space or got as close as he was now. That was until the words he had spoken to Jazz in his pre-recharge haze appeared in his processor.

_'I care for you Jazz more than I'm supposed too and I refuse to allow anything to happen to you.' _The tactician resisted the urge to face palm as he had never openly admitted how he felt for someone before he had met Jazz, and now that he had made the first move he wondered what the saboteur's next move would be if there was going to be one at all. His logic centre presented him with the fact that the silver mech must reciprocate his feelings or he wouldn't be pressed intimately close to the black and white mech as he was now. However Prowl knew there would be consequences if he pursued a relationship with Jazz, after all the pair of them were second and third in command of the Autobots, they both had responsibilities that would require their full most attention. Not too mention it was probably not a good idea to form emotional bonds with another mech with the war escalating, however the tactician reasoned despite the slight processor ache it produced, that it would give him one shred of sanity in this cruel, war torn world.

The 2IC was drawn out of his thoughts briefly to the awkward silence that had fallen between the pair of them and Prowl was beginning to feel uncomfortable, not only physically but with the quiet that permeated the room. His audio receptors barely picked up the low hum of Jazz's systems and wondered if the saboteur had drifted off back into recharge, not that the tactician would blame him. After all the past few orns had been tiring both mentally and physically for the Autobots. The 2IC suspected it was going to be like that for the next couple of cycles whilst they dealt with the aftermath and the clean up of Praxus. Prowl didn't want to think about what he had lost when the beautiful city had been destroyed, but knew he would have to come to terms with it eventually and perform the mourning ritual with his only surviving kin; his eldest brother Smokescreen.

"Hey Prowl, I gotta ask ya somethin'." Jazz said pulling the tactician out of his thoughts.

"What is it Jazz? And could you possibly shift your skid plate?" Prowl asked as he successfully managed to get his arms beneath him, all it would take was a good push upwards and he would be free of the saboteur's smaller frame draped across his back. Not that he minded, a small part of him was enjoying the close contact with the silver mech.

"Not until I get an answer outta ya." Jazz told him.

The black and white mech sighed through his intakes before allowing his mind to wonder what the question would be. After too many possibilities were presented to him, Prowl decided to allow the saboteur to ask the question "Fire away."

"Did ya … did ya really mean what ya said last night … about carin' fer me more than ya supposed to? Or was it impendin' recharge talkin'?" Jazz inquired as he pushed himself upwards so both clawed hands were resting upon the small of Prowl's back. He began to contemplate that maybe he had interpreted all the signs incorrectly, and that maybe he had asked the wrong question which might be causing the tactician's logic circuits to lock up right this instant. Had it been the grief the 2IC was feeling that had made the black and white mech say such words? If so, the saboteur knew it would be better to cut his loses and leave now before things became more awkward between him and Prowl. Of course when the tactician didn't respond straight away, all hope began to fade away that there wasn't really anything between them at all and Jazz had made a complete fool out of himself.

"Jazz I . . ." The tactician began drawing the special ops mech out of his thoughts. The saboteur knew this would be the moment of truth, unless of course the 2IC's logic circuits decided to crash on him leaving Jazz wondering what he would have said "Jazz I meant what I said." Prowl told the silver mech "I … I care for you more than a friend should …."

"Wait! Are ya tellin' me that ya have feelin's for me?" Jazz asked blatantly as he shifted his leg nearest to the edge of the berth and let it drop over the side. It was all the tactician needed to reverse their positions, he pushed upwards abruptly usurping the saboteur from where he had been sitting and sent him sprawling backwards on to the berth. Prowl straddled the small mech at the hips and grasped both flailing wrists and pinned them down on the berth. The silver mech shook off the surprise of being tackled and glanced up at the tactician, he saw one advantage to his new submissive position he had been forced into, and that was he could now see Prowl's face fully. And from the look upon the tactician's facial plates told Jazz that it was true; the 2IC did have feelings for him. The saboteur realised now that the attraction he had towards the taller mech was being returned, it was amazing really how something tragic an event or a loss could reveal another side to a bot. Jazz suddenly felt his spark flutter in its casing and his core temperature raise ever so slightly when it finally registered in his processor, the position they were currently in.

"I do." Prowl replied distracting him away from his line of thoughts.

The saboteur felt his fuel pump skip a beat and his spark continued its frantic fluttering at those two small words that left the tactician's vocaliser and rolled off those perfect lips of his "Funny story that because I . . . ." The silver mech never got to finish his sentence as his lip components were captured in a deep passionate kiss. Jazz felt his entire frame go lax as he melted into the kiss that Prowl had surprisingly initiated. The special ops mech decided to throw all caution to the wind and enjoy this moment, they could talk about the pros and cons of pursuing a relationship later. The pair broke the kiss slowly but surely before touching their foreheads to the others "wow I didn't expect that."

A rare but beautiful smile graced the tactician's lip components, one the saboteur hoped to see more of in the future. However it disappeared as quickly as it appeared "Jazz I have to know . . . . . ."

The silver mech silenced him with a single clawed finger pressed against the 2IC's slightly parted lip components "No ya don't coz ya already know th' answer I was gonna give ya."

"And that answer would be exactly?" Prowl inquired although he already knew what the answer was deep down in his spark. After all Jazz wouldn't still be here if he didn't feel the same way, however the tactician wanted to hear the confirmation vocally from the special ops mech..

The saboteur was about to open his mouth plates to respond when the chime of the tactician's door sounded, ruining the well built atmosphere. The silver mech grumbled about the bot's lousy timing as the pair of them got up from the berth and made their way across the room, however Prowl stopped Jazz in the open doorway and turned the smaller mech to face him by grabbing his left upper arm. The saboteur was about to ask him if he was alright when he was pressed against the door frame and engaged in a short chaste kiss, Jazz felt his knees go weak and held onto Prowl's upper arms for support. The silver mech was finding it strange how the taller mech was suddenly being affectionate, but knew that all the mech wanted was comfort and reassurance from someone he was close too. Not that Jazz minded, it was nice to see a different side to Prowl, he just wished it hadn't been brought out through grief of losing the majority of his family and the city he had been sparked in. Although the saboteur could tell this whole incident was taking its toll on the black and white mech as Prowl's sensory panels were low upon his back compared to the normal high and flared out positions, and his bright blue optics were also dim.

"You still owe me an answer." The 2IC said.

The saboteur chuckled as he rested one clawed hand against the right side of the tactician's helm "Do I now? coz I thought ..." The special ops mech never got to finish his sentence when they were rudely interrupted.

"Gah! Frag my optics! Now I'm gonna have to defrag my processor." They heard the bot exclaim, Prowl pulled away from Jazz so quickly that he stumbled into the opposite door frame and lost his balance. The saboteur attempted to grab one of the tactician's arms to prevent him from falling backwards, only to lose his own balance in the process and fall with him. The special ops officer heard the black and white mech hiss in pain when the jolt no doubt painfully reminded the 2IC that he still needed to get his injuries seen to by Ratchet.

"What do you want Smokescreen?" Prowl demanded as he took one of Jazz's clawed hands and pulled himself up onto his pedes with the saboteur's help.

"Not to be mentally scarred that's for sure." His eldest sibling replied, although the usual playfulness wasn't entirely there, a sure sign that the diversionary strategist was also feeling the loss of their creators and their brother as acutely as his younger brother was. Smokescreen waved one of the few data-pads he had in his hands at his sibling "I wanted to speak to you about the mourning rites an' how you wanna proceed."

"An that's ma cue ta leave." Jazz said as he stepped around the brothers, he flashed the military strategist a small reassuring smile before he disappeared from the room.

The black and white mech could feel his brother scrutinising him the moment the silver mech had disappeared from the room. Prowl raised a single optic ridge at his sibling's stare "What?"

"I would never have thought for an astro-second, you would hook up with Jazz of all mechs." Smokescreen replied.

"Your point being?" The 2IC asked as he made his way across to his dispenser and grabbed a ration of energon.

The red and blue mech moved toward the couches arranged in the middle of the room "Its just that you two are so different from each other, although a few of the bots on base suspected there was somethin' between the pair of you … so which one of you 'confessed first?"

Prowl glared at his older sibling "I thought you came here with a purpose?"

"I did." Smokescreen replied as he laid a few data-pads out in front of him on the small, knee joint high table. The older mech wasn't one for tradition, hell he wasn't usually the organised one, but he knew that to bring closure to the pair of them, tradition stated that the Praxian rites for mourning needed to be carried out "are you ready for this?"

The black and white mech glanced at his brother, Prowl knew that casualties were certain in a war, but he had never expected for it to hit so close to home. The loss of most of his family should have made him shut Jazz out and not let him get close, but right now he needed something or somebot to take comfort in, in fact he regretted not asking the saboteur to stay. However Prowl knew Optimus would have effective immediately declared him emotionally compromised and relieved him from duty until further notice, which meant Jazz was required to step up into his position and take over his duties whilst juggling with his own. Suddenly the guilt he was still feeling at letting his people down (despite the saboteur's reassurance that it wasn't his fault) increased two fold at the thought of the silver special ops mech taking on his responsibilities, especially when he had done so much for him already. The tactician noticed the somewhat impatient look upon his elder brother's facial plates, although he could see a tint of underlying concern and worry there too.

Prowl vented a shaky sigh out of his intakes "I'm ready."

* * *

**A couple of orns later …. **

It was getting late Jazz mused as he pinched the ridge of his nasal plates before he glanced at the screen upon the data-pad he was currently holding. He hated paperwork with a passion especially more so when he was having to cover not only his own, but Prowl's as well until the tactician was released back onto duty. Normally he wasn't that bothered about having to cover for the 2IC's workload, but this orn it seemed that every department head had found fit to keep him swamped with the status of their units, inventory lists and their individual reports about the rescue and salvage operation in Praxus. Each of them spoke of the grim details that they had seen, heard or experienced, and the saboteur suddenly found himself with the need to maul something just to vent his anger as he continued reading the personal accounts. However the more reports the silver mech read about civilians being slaughtered mercilessly, the tighter his grip became upon the pad until finally it joined the other ones that had also seen his ire, it greeted the wall and came to rest upon the floor lying in pieces with the others. In fact dark thoughts of how he would like to deactivate the Decepticons responsible was beginning to work its way into his processor, and he couldn't help but relish in the recalled memories of how he had coldly terminated or brutally killed Decepticon officers and soldiers.

However Jazz was drawn out of his thoughts when he heard the chime that signalled that someone was awaiting entry into his office, sounded throughout the small room. The saboteur called out a soft 'come in' as he slumped back in his seat and glanced down at the last few data-pads that were either waiting to be added to the finished pile, or to join the others on the floor. The silver mech didn't even look up when the doors slid open to permit the Autobot who had disturbed his murderous thoughts, that was until he heard the bot's light tread and knew there were only two other mechs who could move quietly like that. Although Mirage was still out of the base gathering Intel. so the only other mech it could be was a certain black and white. Jazz glanced up and a small whisper of a smile appeared upon his lip components when he saw Prowl stood just inside the doors, his gaze focused upon the broken pile of data-pads, before that chevroned helm turned so their gazes met.

The tactician quirked a single optic ridge "That's not how you deal with paperwork Jazz."

"It is now." The saboteur responded as he sat forward stretching at the same time to undo any kinks that had worked themselves into his joints, he pushed himself up out of his chair groaning slightly at the stiffness that had worked its way into his frame before he perched upon the edge on the other side of the desk "what can I do fer ya Prowl?"

The black and white mech vented a deep sigh out of his intakes, his sensory panels drooping upon his back "I want something to do, I do not wish to wallow in self pity or guilt in my quarters."

The silver mech frowned as he folded his arms across his chest plates as he regarded the mech in front of him, taking note of how downcast he appeared "Ya know ya supposed ta be on medical leave until further notice, that means no work right?"

"I know its just that … I feel useless and I'm reluctant to say that I'm bored too." The tactician replied "I've managed to spend much of my morning talking to the survivors, but now I've found myself with nothing to preoccupy my time."

Jazz allowed a small smile to tug at the corners of his lip components, he wasn't sure whether Prowl would actually manage to muster the courage to go down to the repair bay and speak with some of the survivors. But he was glad in some respects that he did, after all they would alleviate any guilt he was feeling about not being able to warn them in time about the possible Decepticon attack.

"Well I suppose I could use a servo with th' inventory lists, I know how you love doin' those." The saboteur said, giving the tactician a small smile.

The black and white mech cocked his helm to the side in an imitation of an organic rolling their eyes "Hardly."

"Well any help would be appreciated, I don't know how ya do it all th' time." Jazz grumbled as he slid off the edge of the desk and turned, he glanced forlornly at the reports still needing his attention. Surprisingly much of his anger from earlier had evaporated with just having Prowl in the same room as him.

The tactician stepped up beside him "Because I organise and prioritise."

The saboteur waved him off as he made his way around his desk "Yea, yea I know organisin' an' prioritisin' allows ya ta be more efficient." The special ops mech glanced at the black and white, only to frown when he saw Prowl's sensory panels droop and a small sad frown make its way onto his facial plates. Jazz stepped out from behind his desk and made his way back over to the tactician again "Prowl?"

"My sire gave me that piece of advice once." The black and white mech replied in a soft tone.

The saboteur gently gripped one of his elbow joints "Well if ya ask me he gave a pretty good piece of advice since its made ya good at your job." The 2IC gave him a small sad smile and the silver mech gave him a reassuring one in return "come on th' quicker they'll get done, th' sooner I can get out of here. I'm startin' ta feel like I've been …." Jazz was cut off when the base alarm sounded "what the frag?"

"Come on." Prowl uttered as he gently touched the saboteur's left elbow before quickly proceeding out of the room.

The 3IC scrambled after him, clearly aware that the tactician was heading in one direction only; the control room rather than back to his quarters "Wait Prowl, ya off duty remember."

The black and white glanced over his shoulder "I'm well aware of that Jazz, but I have a duty to the Autobots regardless of whether I have been removed from duty or not."

Jazz vented a sigh, he knew there was no point in arguing with Prowl, and short of jabbing the tactician in the neck to knock him unconscious via a pressure node, there was no way he would be able to get him back to quarters. The pair of them passed numerous Autobots rushing to their stations as they made their way to the command deck. Jazz glanced at Prowl with a concerned look upon his facial plates, he knew there was every chance that his lover was going to be assigned to a combat group to push back the Decepticon forces, and they needed their military strategist to have a clear processor. The second and third in command entered the control room to find it a whirl with activity as their comrades tried to isolate exactly where the enemy were planning to attack, whilst Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus and Ironhide were stood around the centre holographic display.

"There's nothing there of real importance." They heard Ultra Magnus state as they made their approach.

"Then I say let's go and slag the fraggers." Ironhide retorted.

"That would not be such a prudent course of action." Prowl responded as he stood beside the weapons specialist.

"Prowl I thought Ratchet declared you off duty until further notice?" Optimus inquired as he quirked a single optic ridge at the tactician.

"He did, however I felt my skills were needed here and although I trust in Trailbreaker's abilities, I'd rather oversee the battle plans myself." The black and white mech explained, his posture stiff and formal and his gaze unwavering.

"I've already tried to convince him otherwise Sir, but ya know how slaggin' stubborn he can be." Jazz told the Autobot leader as he glanced from the military strategist stood beside him to the large red and blue mech.

The Prime vented a sigh out of his intakes as he he regarded his 2IC, he knew Prowl hated sitting idly by whilst his comrades risked their lives. And if the destruction of Praxus told him anything, was that the tactician wasn't going to make the same mistake again by not acting quick enough.

"Very well but if at any point I feel that you've become compromised in anyway, then I will have no choice but to remove you from the field, is that understood?" Optimus told him sternly, although he knew it would take a lot to break Prowl's resolve. But that didn't stop him from worrying about the tactician's well-being.

The black and white mech dipped his head in acknowledgement "Yes sir."

_:/Optimus this isn't a good idea, you should confine the kid to his quarters until we've sent the 'con's back to the pit they crawled out of.\:_ Ironhide transmitted over a private comm. frequency as he watched Prowl quickly review the available data they had before pulling up topographical maps of the area the Decepticons planned to attack.

_:/Normally I would have, but right now we require Prowl's skills as chief tactical officer and at this moment he is needed here.\: _The Prime responded as he listened to the plan his 2IC was currently outlining to the other assembled unit commanders _:/I trust Prowl to know where his limits are.\:_

_:/I hope you're right about that, the youngling's got a stubborn streak the size of Unicron.\: _The weapons specialist uttered as he folded his arms across his armoured chest plates and turned his full attention to the strategy being prepared. The large red and blue mech sighed out of his intakes as he too turned his attention to Prowl. He just hoped he was making the right decision about letting the tactician join them in the field, however he suspected that Jazz (particularly if the new rumours were true about the pair of them finally becoming a couple after the vorns of dancing around one another) would remind Prowl of where his limits were and ensure that the black and white mech didn't become compromised in anyway whilst they were out there.

Optimus watched as his 2IC handed out orders to each of the unit leaders before they departed the room to gather their teams, the Prime noticed that each of them cast the tactician a concerned look as they took the relevant data-pads from the black and white mech. However the Prime noticed that Prowl simply gave them the same cold calculating gaze that had many suspecting that he was a sparkless drone, the Autobot leader also knew that the tactician didn't want the looks of pity he was getting from his comrades, nor did he wear his emotions so openly like the others did which made it that little bit harder for the other Autobots to interpret them, let alone get to know him. The red and blue mech allowed a small smile to tug at his lip components when he saw his second and third in commands gently grasp each other's helms and touch foreheads for the briefest of seconds, then Jazz pulled away and headed out of the control room. Optimus was both glad and relieved to see that the black and white mech had found someone to confide in during this difficult time, and the saboteur had always been a fantastic listener and counsellor, so Prowl had really found the right bot with who he could share his woes with. The Prime also wished the pair of them good luck since he had no objections to his fellow Autobots pursuing a relationship, after all 'freedom was the right of all sentient beings'. Of course except when those relationships interfered with the orn to orn running of the base, but that was an issue that was very far and few in-between.

"Optimus sir?" Were the two words spoken that drew the Prime out of his thoughts, he glanced across to see Prowl gazing at him with a single optic ridge raised and his sensory panels were waving back and forth.

"I'm sorry Prowl I was just thinking." The Autobot leader replied.

"That much was evident sir." The tactician said as he made his way across to him, the pair then made their way out of the command centre and into the inter-connecting hallways that would take them down to the transport hangar "may I ask what is troubling you?"

Optimus resisted the urge to flinch at the almost flat and cold tone the black and white mech was speaking in "I'm concerned that I'm allowing you out onto the battlefield far too soon, Prowl you may have had a few orns to grieve but grief is an unpredictable and length process." The Prime stopped his 2IC in mid-stride and clasped one of his shoulder struts "I don't want you to think that you have to be out there because its your obligation to be, I would rather you use the time that has been given to you for you to grieve for the family you've lost but ..." The Autobot leader sighed out of his intakes "... I know your sense of duty won't allow you to put this aside for a personal matter."

"The unfortunate downside of once being an enforcer." The tactician responded, his sensory panels drooping upon his back.

"So it seems." The large red and blue mech said as he offered his 2IC a small sad smile as they began walking again towards the hangar "just promise me one thing Prowl, that if things become too much ..."

"I will head back to the transport and await further orders." Prowl replied finishing his commander's sentence.

Optimus shook his head in amusement "And another thing Prowl?"

The tactician glanced at his commander curiously "Sir?"

"I want you to attach yourself to the sniper unit, they could use your skills." The Prime told him _'And it'll keep you away from combat.' _The large red and blue mech wanted to add but didn't.

The 2IC gave his leader an annoyed if not somewhat irritated look, a part of him wished his comrades would stop coddling him and treating him like fragile glass. However the other part of him appreciated what his fellow Autobots were trying to do "Yes sir." He responded after a few moments.

Optimus nodded as he keyed in the code for the transport hangar, the doors slid open to reveal the rather busy atmosphere within as mechs and femmes mobilised into action and boarded the shuttles. The Prime spotted the shuttle he was to board, he wished Prowl good luck before making his way across the large chamber. The tactician watched his leader stride across the hangar before he turned and headed over to the allocated launch pad the sniper team were boarding their shuttle, several of the mechs saluted him as he ascended the ramp and stepped into the shuttle.

"Status report?" The winged black and white mech barked instantly gaining the attention of the pilot and the mech stood behind him.

The green and burgundy mech stepped away from the pilot and made his way over "All systems are operational sir, I assume you're also joining us?"

Prowl glanced past him as his gaze focused upon the forward view screen " You assume correctly." The tactician glanced back at the sniper and took note of the somewhat surprised look upon the mech's facial plates "gather the team on board, we leave immediately."

"Yes sir." The sniper responded as he threw Prowl a quick salute before stepping around him and heading out of the shuttle. The tactician watched him leave before turning his attention to the flurry of activity outside, his audio receptors detected the distinct voice of the green and burgundy mech order the sniping team aboard the shuttle, followed closely by the several pairs of footsteps as the 2IC's team boarded the transport. Prowl glanced over his shoulder briefly, flicking a sensory panel out of the way as he did so, to acknowledge each member of the team's presences before he settled in for the long journey once the shuttle lifted from the launch pad. Clearly unaware of what awaited him on the battlefield.

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_**A/N: **stupid plot bunnies attacked me whilst I was trying to get on with Renascentia. Originally this was only supposed to be a one shot then people asked for a second chapter and now it has a third which will be up shortly, dang plot bunnies!_

_Read & Review!_


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